Marsannay, Les Vaudenelles, 2013

Pure, clear fruit flavours of red cherry and raspberry; light, bright and crisp. Not deep or complex but so engaging, fruity and juicy. Wonderfully steamlined and refreshing. Aged in used oak foudres only.

Bruno Clair started his own domaine in 1979 with small holdings in Marsannay, Fixin, Morey and Savigny Dominode. Alongside this sat his family's Clair-Dau estate, one of the great Burgundian domaines, however following the death of his grandfather Joseph Clair family disaggreements sadly lead to its dismantling in 1985. The following year, to add to his own small domaine, Bruno was entrusted with the vineyards of his parents, brothers and sisters which included those of Clos de Bèze, Cazetiers, Clos St-Jacques, Vosne-Romanée, Clos du Fonteny and Chambolle-Musigny.

Bruno Clair’s wings are spread widely over the Côte d’Or covering nine appellations in total. Bruno, first and foremost, is a vigneron and, with the help of winemaker Philippe Brun, produces some of Burgundy’s purest examples, adopting an approach that involves back-breaking vineyard work and minimal intervention winemaking, using a mixture of large old wooden foudres and smaller barriques for the long slow ageing process. New oak, though used, is kept to a minimum - rarely going above 40% even for the Grands Crus. The estate is renowned, in particular, for its excellent value Marsannays, stunning Gevreys and old vines Savigny Cuvées. Though not always a fan of whole bunch, Bruno will, from time to time, use them in certain vintages to aide more gentle extractions. These are high-toned, vivid red Burgundies of great purity.

The northernmost appellation of the Côte de Nuits. Marsannay is the only Burgundian commune that boasts appellation contrôlée status for red, white, and rosé. The appellation also includes the vineyards of Couchey and Chenove. Prior to 1987, the wines were sold simply as "Bourgogne" followed by the "Marsannay" or "Rosé de Marsannay" designation. The Pinot Noir Rosé is a speciality of the village pioneered in 1919 by Joseph Clair, it can offer considerable pedigree and quality. The reds, when made properly, can be some of Burgundy's best value reds, full of Pinot Noir character, some terroir complexity they are usually relatively light, certainly lighter than those of neighbour Fixin, but offer very pleasureable drinking for within 5-6 years of the vintage. The whites are made from Chardonnay but some Pinot Blanc can be found, too, they are plump fruity and sometimes quite exotic examples of White Burgundy, and, again, can be extremely good value.

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Tax Status Explained

IB stands for In Bond. Wines that are stored In Bond have not had UK Duty and VAT paid on them.

Most of our wines are available for purchase under bond, as fine wines often need to be laid down in order to allow them to mature. Many clients choose therefore to store them in our bonded warehouse and pay the tax as and when they wish to get the wines delivered. Please note that Wines purchased In Bond can be exported to non-EU countries without the need for Duty and VAT to be paid.

DP stands for duty paid. If you wish to get wines delivered for drinking, the duty and VAT will need to be paid as it leaves its bonded state in the warehouse. The wine is then said to be duty paid.

All taxes must be paid in order for us to be authorised to ship or deliver wine (unless the wine is bonded and being moved to another bonded warehouse or being shipped directly outside of the EU.)

EP stands for En Primeur. These wines are currently held with the Estate and Domaine’s we work with and will be shipped in due course.